Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau

A moderate but convinced republican

Wire of a considered lawyer, Rene Waldeck-Rousseau, burning republican who had been appointed of the Constituent Assembly in 1848 and mayor of Nantes (1870-1874), Pierre makes his right to Faculty of Poitiers and presents its thesis to Paris. Lawyer with the bar of Saint-Nazaire, it takes part in the drafting of the newspaper the Future then it settles with Rennes in 1873 and is made elect appointed in 1879 like member of the republican Union, supporting with the Room the Opportunist ones. He was to exercise this parliamentary mandate during ten years.

He becomes Minister of Interior Department in transitory the Gouvernement Leon Gambetta (where he was Minister of Interior Department November 14th 1881 with the January 30th 1882) then in the second government of Jules Ferry (February 23rd, 1883 - April 6th, 1885). At this point in time it is made lawyer of the right of association, depositing a first private bill since 1882. It is at the origin of the relative law to the voted freedom of working and employers' professional associations on March 21st, 1884.

After the fall of the government Ferry, on March 30th, 1885, Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau moves away little by little from the national political life. Of return in its native land, it Marie and attempts to increase the family field of Vilhouin. In 1886, it is registered at the bar of Paris and takes again its activities of lawyer as from 1889, specializing in the financial businesses of justice and doing of its cabinet one of most famous of the capital. It joins again with the parliamentary life while being made elect senator in the department of the Loire in 1894 at the time of bys-election. Candidate with the presidential election of 1895, it obtains only 184 votes with the first turn against 338 with Henri Brisson and 244 with Felix Faure.

The longest government of the 3rd Republic

In France torn by the Business Dreyfus, “moderate republican but not moderately republican” (information to check this sentence seems to actually come from Raymond Poincaré), it contributes to the constitution of the republican Block and occupies the functions of President of the Council of the Ministers for the June 22nd 1899 with the June 3rd 1902 (see Gouvernement Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau) succeeding Charles Dupuy and being in his turn replaced by Emile Combes.

He cumulates his functions with the wallets of Minister of Interior Department and Worships. Invested on June 26th, 1899, this government of “republican Defense” very heteroclite includes/understands in its rows of the republicans progressists, of the radicals, the general Gaston de Galliffet, who had taken part in the crushing of the Commune in 1871, just like the Socialist Alexandre Millerand. It is the first time that a Socialist takes part in a government of the 3rd Republic. Waldeck-Rousseau decides the revision of the Dreyfus lawsuit in Rennes. It supports also social laws: March 30th, 1900 a law on the work of the women and children is promulgated followed on September 30th of a law which lowers to eleven hours the duration of the daily work. It finally succeeds in making vote a law who holds to him for a long time in heart: the relative law with the contract of association is adopted by the Senate on June 22nd, 1901, is voted by the House of Commons on June 28th, and is promulgated July. Exasperated by the interventions of the religious congregations in the political matters, he wanted to subject them to the common right but the Parliament made vote for a text more severe than that envisaged by the president of the council. It concludes the Block of the lefts the successfully at the time of the legislative elections of 1902 but, suffering of the cancer of the pancreas which was to carry it later two years, it resigns as of on June 3rd, 1902.

He is opposed to the Senate with the rigorous application made by his successor to the law of 1901, deploring that one transformed a “law of control into law of exclusion”. He fights finally the Separation of the Church and the State which he considers dangerous. Waldeck-Rousseau will have been until the end a great liberal figure of the Republican party.

Note

Les dates completion of government indicated on anglophone Wikipedia can be false (on certain pages). They correspond each time to the Passation of the capacities between the former president of the Council, resigner but dispatching the go concern, and the new president of the Council have just been nommé.

External bonds

Centenary of the law of the 1 {{er}} July 1901
Anovi - XIXe siècle
the Senate of IIIe Republic 1875-1940 - Portraits
the Senate of IIIe Republic 1875-1940 - History

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